Reaching out
by Melonypond
Summary: When Merlin's mother buys a house in the middle of nowhere, Merlin is not exactly excited. That is, of course, until he meets Arthur Pendragon, the "boy next door."
1. Meeting

Merlin flopped onto his bed, letting out a long sigh. His family had just moved to a small town in the middle of nowhere and he was not looking forward to starting a new life. In his old town, he had friends and a life, here, he had nothing. Suddenly, there was a soft tap on his window. Merlin groaned and pushed himself up, looking across the room to see a boy with sandy blond hair grinning at him through the window. Merlin, intrigued, stood up and opened the window.

"Hello!" The boy said happily, "My name's Arthur Pendragon, what's yours?"

"I'm Merlin, how did you get here?" He asked tiredly.

"I'm your neighbor, I came across the roofs!" he said, gesturing behind him at the two slanted rooftops that very-nearly touched.

The boy grinned stupidly at him, "The house you moved into has been empty for years! I'm so glad someone finally moved in!"

Merlin sighed quietly and invited him into his room, still stacked with boxes. "I haven't gotten to unpacking yet." He said dully.

Arthur cocked his head, looking at Merlin, studying his tired face. "Cheer up," he said, clapping his hand on the smaller boys shoulder. "You're going to love it here!"

"Yeah," Merlin said disinterestedly, "I'm sure I will." He sat down at the dusty desk in the corner of his room, drawing absentmindedly in the dust.

Arthur paused for a moment, looking at the moping boy. He was shorter than himself by a few inches and he had messy black hair. He wore a red t-shirt and he had a brown, worn, leather jacket on over that. In the dust, he was drawing what appeared to be a dragon. Merlin must have been used to drawing them, as he hadn't looked down at it once. Arthur quickly turned and raced back into his house.

"Great job Merlin," he murmured to himself, "you already managed to push away the first person you met." He pulled his hand away from the drawing and leaned back in the chair, thinking about his old home.

After a few minutes, Arthur leapt back through the open window, surprising Merlin.

"Huh," he said, "I thought I had scared you off."

Arthur shook his head, "I, uh, I brought you something." He said sheepishly, "Call it a welcome gift."

Merlin looked at the suddenly sheepish boy. Arthur bulled his hands out from behind his back and passed an unused sketch book over to Merlin.

"I saw you drawing," He said, pointing to the dust dragon, "I thought you could use some paper to draw on." Merlin looked at the cardboard covered sketchbook, there was a bow hastily tied with a ratty shoelace on the front. Arthur could see him visibly become more invested in what was going on after he passed it over.

"Thank you," Merlin said earnestly to Arthur. "Hey, when does school start around here?"

"Not for a long time, it just ended a few weeks ago. I f you want me to, I could show you around town tomorrow if that's convenient. I've got no plans tomorrow."

Merlin nodded eagerly, "That sounds like a great idea." He could tell that this was the beginning of a great friendship.


	2. Merthur begins

"MERLIN, WAKE UP!" A womans voice shouted in merlins ear as A pillow fell hard on his face.

He moaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Mom," He yawned, "What was that for?"

"I have been yelling at you to wake up for the past ten minutes. It's twelve thirty and you haven't even started to unpack your boxes. Come and get some breakfast and get started."

Merlin sighed and nodded reluctantly, "Alright mom, Give me a minute to get dressed."

She nodded and walked out of the room. Merlin's mom was a very kind lady but she had been through a lot. Her first two children were stillborn and Merlin was her last hope of having a child. Shortly after he was born, his father, Balinor, had taken a job that required him to travel quite often, leaving Merlin's mother to raise him mostly on her own.

Merlin ran a hand through is shaggy black hair and walked over to the box labeled shirts. He pulled out his softest _Death cab for Cutie_ T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. He hopped down the narrow steps of his new home and found his way to the kitchen.

He quickly ate the plate of pancakes and eggs that his mother had prepared for him before running back into his room and shutting the door. He walked over to the little desk and pulled out the sketch book from Arthur.

He flipped to the one used page and stared at it for a moment. It was a dragon, like he usually drew but unlike his normal drawings, it was small. From head to tale it was only the length of an arm. The dragon was perched on the shoulders of a boy with sandy blonde hair. Arthur. Merlin bit his lip, staring at the sketch he worked on into late last night. He quickly tore the page out and stuffed it in one of the drawers.

Merlin turned and looked at the imposing stacks of boxes against an empty wall and sighed, it would take him ages to sort through all of it. He pulled down one of the small boxes on top and sat on his bed. He smiled when he saw what was inside. There little tiny dragons and fairies wrapped carefully in bubble wrap and news papers. He set them up on his desk and moved to the next box, emptying out more and more boxes.

Merlin was seven boxes in, surrounded by discarded boxes and newspapers when he heard a tap on the glass. Merlin looked up and smiled at Arthur, standing quickly to let the tall boy inside.

Arthur looked at the messy room and smiled, "Now _this_ looks inhabitable." He said, flopping onto Merlin's messy bed. "Do you want help unpacking, or should I just sit here and daydream?"

"A little help would be welcome seeing as you are in my room." Merlin stated good naturedly.

Arthur smirked, "If you insist." Together the two of them got through the boxes in just over an hour. They were walking downstairs to raid the kitchen when Merlin's mother stepped suddenly in front of the door, blocking off the entrance.

"Merlin," his mother said, shooting him a glare, "Who is this?"

"Um, mom, this is, uh, well, His name is Arthur and he's the neighbor boy. He came over to visit yesterday."

"I saw no one walk through that door. How did he get in?"

Arthur let off a charming smile, "I came in through the window! Mam, may I just say, you're cooking smells delicious."

Merlin's mother shot him a glare too, "don't try to butter me up sonny." After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she sighed. "I guess it's nice to know that Merlin's making friends. Try not to get in trouble; I have more pressing matters currently. Come get some food, I know that's why you're here." She turned quickly on her heel and walked briskly into the kitchen. She pulled two plates out of a box and set them on the battered table. Reaching into the small refrigerator, she pulled out apple sauce and pears; she also placed some wonder bread on the table along with peanut butter and jam.

"Help yourselves; I have to unpack the living room."

"Thanks mum!" Merlin said cheerily before slathering a piece of wonder bread in peanut butter.

After they ate, Arthur and Merlin returned upstairs. They put the piles of trash in the boxes and stacked them against the wall again.

"Garbage pickup is on Tuesday, tell your mom." Arthur said before popping Merlin's window open.

He paused for a moment, the breeze rustling his hair slightly. Merlin swallowed hard.

Arthur abruptly turned to Merlin, "Do you have a sheet of paper I could barrow?" He asked suddenly, "I'd like to give you my phone number so you can text or call me if you want to visit."

Merlin was stunned for a moment, "Uh, sure," he said, rummaging through his desk he pulled out a small notebook and a pen and passed them to Arthur.

He quickly scribbled his number on the pad and gave it back to Merlin. He smirked quickly, "You're great at drawing, Merlin." He said before he turned and left the room, leaping the small gap in-between the houses.

Merlin's eyes went wide. _Oh god, _Merlin thought_, he saw the drawing I put in the drawer._ Merlin put his head in his hands and fell back on his bed. He fell asleep, forgetting about the number Arthur had given him.


	3. The pond

Well, it looks like this is definitely a Merthur now. I honestly don't know what happened. Sorry for the late upload by the way, and you are all lovely people for reading my stories, thank you.

Merlin rolled out of bed at seven thirty and stumbled downstairs, finding an apple and a glass of milk he shuffled back to his room. He set his glass of milk on the table and plopped into his chair, eyes still heavy with sleep. He looked over at his desk and noticed the notepad and the memories of embarrassment came flooding back. Merlin took a large bite of his apple, noticing that he was still in the same cloths as the day before. He sighed, set down his apple and walked over to his dresser, and changed into a new set of cloths. Reaching over, he unplugged his cell phone from its charger and returned to the desk. He set Arthur as a contact and continued eating, mulling over yesterdays events.

He finished his apple and drained his milk and realized, Arthur had smiled when mentioning the drawing. Did Arthur have a thing for him too? Merlin grinned; Arthur had been over to Merlin's every day. Merlin figured it was about time he went to Arthur.

Sliding his window up, Merlin leapt onto the roof and headed over to Arthur's window. Arthur was sprawled on his bead with his mouth hanging wide open. Merlin smiled and sat there for a moment, most people would have found Arthur's appearance to be repulsive but Merlin thought it was kind of adorable.

After a moment, Merlin tapped on the window. Arthur sat straight up and got tangled in his sheets. He fell ungracefully to the floor and Merlin just about fell off the roof he laughed so hard. When Arthur walked over to the window, Merlin saw he wasn't wearing a shirt. He swallowed hard at the sight of Arthur's defended abs.

Arthur grinned as he slid the window up, "Way to surprise me Merlin," He said good-naturedly. "Come on, we're going for a walk around town today." Arthur walked over to his closet and pulled out a shirt. Ruffling his hair with his hand, he walked over to his door.

Merlin carefully moved inside Arthur's room and followed him outside the door, looking around the house. Arthur leaned on the banister of the stairs and slid to the ground floor, leaving Merlin to stumble hastily down the stairs behind him. Arthur swung by the kitchen and grabbed a roll and a banana off the counter before opening the door and strolling out.

Merlin trotted out a few moments later and closed it behind him. "Arthur, where are we going?" Merlin asked, a little miffed that Arthur had a shirt on now.

"Places Merlin, you have to stop asking so many questions."

Merlin just sighed and continued walking with Arthur.

After a little while of walking and chatting, Arthur turned down a dirt road and lead Merlin to a pond sheltered by small trees. Arthur walked to a row of shrubs and dragged a small metal dingy to the waterside. Merlin was standing a few feet away, confused by Arthur's actions.

"Merlin," he called, "Get over here, I need to show you something."

Merlin stepped forward hesitantly and got into the boat. Arthur then pushed them into the water and rowed to a small platform in the middle of the pond. Arthur tied the boat to the platform and climbed the slimy ladder on the side. Merlin followed suit.

They sat side by side on the platform for a while, chatting and dangling their feet in the water. While they talked, Merlin snuck his hand over to Arthur's. Arthur intertwined his fingers with Merlin's, not glancing down once. They stayed that way until noon when they were both too thirsty to stay out in the sun.

As they stood to get back in the boat, Arthur reached over and took Merlin's other hand, looking into his light blue eyes, Arthur smiles.

Merlin is holding his breath he is dumb struck. He has no idea what to do. Arthur takes his hands away from Merlin's and breaks eye contact. He makes it to the edge of the floating platform and stops, he turns quickly and grabs Merlin's face, smiling as he sees the confusion in his eyes he leans down and kisses Merlin deeply. Merlin doesn't respond for a moment, he's too awestruck that Arthur could think of him like that too. It takes a moment, but he returns the kiss, running his hands through Arthur's hair. They break the kiss a few moments later and row back to shore.

After putting the boat away, Merlin and Arthur return home, holding hands and feeling happier than either has in a very long time.


	4. Night time visits

**Sorry for the delayed upload! I was at a music camp all week, hindering my ability to work on the story. Thank you all for reading this story and reviews are my favorite things in the world to see! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Their relationship continued throughout the summer, Merlin's mother had seen it coming since the day she saw them together. Arthur's parents were too busy fighting to pay Arthur any mind.

School was coming closer and temperatures were dropping. One night, as Merlin was just starting to fall asleep, he heard a tapping on his window. He pushed his heavy eyelids open to see Arthur crouched outside in a t-shirt and athletic shorts. Merlin groaned and went to open the window. As he was about to open it, he realized something, Arthur wasn't smiling. Arthur always smiled when he came over, now he seemed exhausted and sad. Merlin opened the window quickly and stood aside for Arthur.

The sandy haired boy literally fell into the room. He pushed himself up on weak arms and leaned heavily against the wall, bags under his eyes.

"Arthur!" Merlin whispered worriedly, "What happened?"

Arthur looked away and mumbled something quietly. Merlin looked closer at Arthur and saw a large bruise on the side of his face.

"Arthur," he whispered gently brushing his hand near Arthur's bruise. "Please, tell me what happened."

He shook his head, biting his bottom lip in a failed attempt to restrain the tears that were slowly falling out of his eyes.

Merlin ran over to his bed and grabbed a large, warm, blanket and returned to Arthur. He sat down and scooted closer to the other boy's side. Merlin wrapped the blanket around Arthur's far shoulder and wrapped it around himself.

They stayed like this for quite some time, Merlin waited for Arthur to stop crying and regain his composure.

"Arthur," he said kindly, "Please, tell me what happened."

He let out a shaky breath before saying, "My parents, they were fighting again. They were fighting about me Merlin. My dad thinks it's not right that I date another guy. My mom thought it was fine. I tried to tell them to stop this time; I tried to make my dad leave her alone. Merlin, he hit me." Arthur stopped talking and curled around Merlin, tears running freely.

Merlin sighed and slid an arm under Arthur's shoulder. He guided the larger boy onto the queen sized bed and slid on next to him. Arthur rolled over and wrapped an arm around Merlin's waist, burying his head into his chest, he cried.

Merlin wrapped an arm around Arthur and rubbed it up and down the other boys back. Merlin stayed awake until he was sure that Arthur was well asleep before nodding off. They stayed this way until morning.


	5. Standing up

Wow, I did not expect this much of a response, this is amazing! I love the feedback I'm getting form you guys. Thank you for continuing to read my little 'ol fanfic, you are fabulous. Hope you like this chapter! (I did it while I was tired, sorry.)

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Merlin slowly awoke, noticing that Arthur was still curled against his chest. Merlin smiled sadly, looking at his face. The bruise had gotten worse and the skin around Arthur's eye was slightly swollen. Not wanting to disturb Arthur, Merlin stayed where he was, rubbing his arm softly against the other boy's back.

"Merlin," Arthur mumbled sleepily. "I don't want to go home. I don't want to go back and see him again." Arthur's voice cracked and he buried his face in Merlin's chest, tears leaking from his sleepy eyes.

"Arthur, don't worry about that now." Merlin said softly, wrapping his arms around Arthur's curled form. "You're here now and you're safe. You don't have to be afraid, no one is going to hurt you here." He continued to run his hand up and down Arthur's back, doing his best to calm and comfort him.

They stayed on the bed cuddling like this for well over an hour before Arthur reluctantly slid away from Merlin.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Merlin asked, confused by his sudden movement.

Arthur stood up from the bed and walked over to the window. He wiped the tear streaks from his eyes and stared across the rooftops.

Merlin stood and walked over to Arthur. He wrapped an arm around the taller boy's waist and rested his head against Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur, what's going on?"

"My mom," he said quietly. "I left her with him. I have to go back for her. I have to be with her Merlin, we have to face him together."

"Arthur, what are you planning?"

"He has to leave, she needs support."

Merlin nodded, "I'll go with you, and you shouldn't be alone in this."

"No Merlin, it needs to be the three of us. He has to understand that we don't want him to be here anymore. He needs to understand that it's our idea to get rid of him. My mom and I have been discussing it for a while now but we never put the plan into action. He's crossed the line." Arthur turned and kissed Merlin suddenly and passionately.

Merlin kissed him back. When they broke away, Arthur smiled softly, "Thank you for being there for me Merlin, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here."

Merlin smiled up at Arthur before opening the window. "Go get him Arthur, you and your mother deserve better.

Arthur stepped outside of the room, glancing back at Merlin before crossing back to his home to face the monster that lived within.


	6. Breaking down

Thank you all for the great feedback, I hope you like this chapter! As usual, feedback is always welcomed with open arms!

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Merlin waited in his room, wringing his hands and biting his lip. He knew Arthur would try to kick his father out, but he wasn't sure if his father would comply. Merlin sat down at his desk, there had to be some way to release this nervous tension, but he didn't want to leave in case Arthur came over.

Merlin leaned down and rifled through his drawers, searching for any kind of distraction. After a bit of digging he pulled out his sketch pad and a pencil. He began to draw. He began to mark up the page, making doodle after doodle. He wished he could help Arthur, be there with him, but he knew that Arthur and his mother had to face the threat alone.

When Merlin leaned back to look at his sketch, he had realized that he had drawn a dragon, which was not unusual, but on the back of the dragon was Arthur, he was in armor and held a sword in his right hand. He bent back over the picture and quickly scribbled a massive bear with sagging jowls and baggy, dead, eyes. The bear had a scar across its shoulder and massive paws. From what Merlin had seen of Uther, he figured it was an accurate representation.

Merlin heard some especially loud screaming and yelling coming from Arthur's house, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Merlin, fearing the worst ran to his mother who was making meatloaf in the kitchen.

"Mom," Merlin shouted at her, bursting into the kitchen. "Arthur'sdadhithimyesterdayandIthinkhe'sgo-"

"Slow down Merlin," she interrupted, wiping her hands on her apron, "Tell me, but slower this time."

Merlin took a deep breath, "yesterday, Arthur's dad hit him, hard. Today, Arthur went back to confront him with his mom. I heard shouting and screaming and breaking glass! Mom, what do we do? I don't want him to get hurt but he told me that he had to do it alone!" Tears were streaming down Merlin's face as he said this.

Her face grew hard. "Not again, no." She mumbled, walking briskly towards the phone.

Merlin collapsed into the chair; he buried his face in his hands, trusting his mother to handle it. He thought of Arthur, getting hurt or worse by his father and the tears fell faster. He shook his head and quietly sobbed into his hands. He could distantly hear his mother making a call, probably the police to inform them of the domestic abuse happening next door. Merlin didn't care; he just wanted Arthur to be there, to be safe.

A gentle hand rested on Merlin's shoulder, prompting him to stand and hold his mother tightly. For the first time in years, Merlin let himself sob against her; he let himself be comforted by his dearest mother. After what seemed like ages, Merlin heard the police sirens.

Merlin's mother guided him over to couch and held him close, comforting her son. "Mom," he mumbled, pulling his head back, he swept his sleeve across his eyes, drying the tears from them. "Mom, I want him to be oka-" He stopped mid sentence, hearing a new siren, an ambulance. Fearing the worst, Merlin sprung from the sofa and threw the front door open. Racing down the steps of his porch, he ran barefoot to Arthur's.

Merlin shoved past the police officer that tried to restrain him and ran straight into another. "Son, calm down." The large man said, holding the struggling Merlin back. "You need to calm down, you can't go in there."

Merlin frantically thrashed against the officer, "Please!" he shouted, "Is he okay? Is Arthur okay?" Merlin watched the white clothed paramedics back out of the little house, a gurney between them. Laying on the gurney was Arthur. He had a large gash across his head and a mask over his mouth. His eyes were closed and his head lolled with every bump.

"Arthur." Merlin whispered, crumpling in the policeman's strong grasp. He didn't sob he didn't scream, he collapsed. The tears ran down his face dripping onto the officer's sleeve. He watched Arthur get wheeled into the back of the ambulance; he saw the car drive away, carrying his precious Arthur inside.


	7. I love you

Oh boy, Gishwhes is coming up in about 14 hours so I may not be updating for a while guys, sorry. But anyways, thanks for all the feedback, I love it! Hope you like the new chapter!

Merlin's mother quickly lifted her shattered son in her strong arms and carried him inside. She laid her son on the sofa and put his head in her lap. He wrapped his arm around her waist and curled up against her, sobbing into her stomach.

Merlin's mother began to smooth down his ruffled hair, humming quietly as she soothed him. It was an old tune, one that had been passed down generation to generation. The words had been lost somewhere along the line, but it had always been a song of comfort, of family.

"Mom," Merlin whispered, "Can we go see him? I want to be with him, please."

She pondered for a moment, weather or not to take him yet, but then she realized. Merlin truly loved this boy, they shared a profound bond. She had seen them the night before, Merlin, holding Arthur. "Come on," she said quietly to her poor son, "let's go see him."

Merlin leaned back and sat upright, his eyes red from crying. His mother stood and pulled him beside her, wrapping an arm around him for support. They walked out to the car like this.

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They reached the hospital in fifteen minutes. When they arrived, Merlin's mother parked the car and walked around to help Merlin out. She wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing him close. He rested his head on her arm. Her strong boy was dying on the inside, devoid of emotion.

"He'll be okay sweetie." She said, looking over at him, "He'll be okay."

They walked inside the hospital, the smell of disinfectants and medicine washed over them. Merlin's mother shepherded her boy to the front desk, "Excuse me," she said politely, "Could you tell me where Arthur Pendragon is? I believe he came in not too long ago."

"I'm sorry ma'am, he's in the ER right now, they're patching him up; he's got some pretty severe head trauma." She said sadly. "But, there was a note in the kid's pocket. Before he went under, he wanted this to get to a guy named Merlin."

Merlin's head snapped up, "Where is it." He demanded, "Please, I'm Merlin."

She raised her eyebrows and passed a sealed envelope to him. "Go down the hall and take a left, the ER waiting room should be pretty obvious."

Merlin's mother smiled and pulled her son along with her down the hall. "Merlin, just wait until we can sit down before you open that letter, okay?" He nodded, looking at the hastily written name on the letter.

Merlin's mother set him in a chair in the corner of the room and went over to talk to Arthur mother, leaving her son to read his letter in privacy.

Merlin carefully slid his finger under the edge, tearing the paper slowly, he removed a piece of notebook paper.

Merlin,

If this note has reached you, it probably means my father has done something to harm and or kill me. I had a feeling something was going to happen. I'm writing this before I face him, before we try to make steps together. Merlin, thank you. Thank you so much for being there for me all the time. You never gave up on me, not once. You cared for me when I was hurting, you laughed with me and you cried with me. Merlin, I'm going to take the chance to say this now, as I may not get another. I love you. I really and truly love you. Merlin, I truly hope you never have to read those words, I hope I can say it first, but if not, let me say it again, I love you. I don't care what Uther thought, I don't care what anyone else thinks, I care what you think and I hope you love me too.

-Arthur

In the waiting room of the ER, Merlin cried. The tears streamed down his face, falling onto the precious note. "I love you Arthur, please, don't be dead. If you can do one thing for me, just be okay." He whispered.

Merlin stayed in his seat, reading over the letter time and time again. His beloved Arthur was in the ER and his last words were in his hands. How could he not read them? They were etched in his mind, Merlin could visualize the page, the words, the font and the tear stains on the page.

"I love you." Merlin whispered.


	8. Little talks

_**Alright lovelies, you've waited long enough while I've been Gishwhesing this past week. As a reward for your patience, I have written an extra long chapter. I love hearing from you all, reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraging! Enjoy the story of my boys.**_

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Merlin felt a hand on his shoulder; his eyes snapped open, "Arthur?" He mumbled, looking around the dim room. He was momentarily confused by his surroundings, but then he was hit by the weight of what had happened. Merlin rubbed a hand across his face, it shouldn't be like this. Arthur should be with him, safe and sound, Uther should be locked away and no one should be in this hospital.

"Merlin honey," Merlin's mother said, "Arthur has been out of surgery for a while now. His mother was with him but she needs to handle Uther now. I'm going with her for moral support. His room number is 221, why don't you go sit with him. He's unconscious now." She smiled sadly at him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Merlin stood slowly, slipping his hand into his pocket to feel the crumpled envelope in his pocket. He walked out of the waiting room, and started down the hall towards Arthur's room. Merlin found the room quickly and slipped through the half open door.

He saw the familiar mop of hair and slipped inside. Arthur was lying under the covers, sleeping soundly in a hospital robe. There was a large cut above his right eye and another that went from his ear to his chin. His lip was split and the rest of his face was covered by smaller cuts. There was a large bruise forming around the cut above his eye. Merlin let out a shaky breath, and wrapped his hand around the letter in his pocket.

Merlin sat down in a chair next to Arthur; he took the other boys hand in his and smiled sadly. "He's leaving," Merlin said, shaking his head, "Your mom is going to get him sent to prison. They're going to make him go away." Merlin's vision blurred and he could feel tears falling down his cheeks, he bit his lip, "Arthur, you don't have to worry about him anymore." Merlin choked back a sob, he squeezed Arthur's hand. "Do me a favor, okay? Arthur, just, please wake up. I hate seeing you like this. Arthur I- I- I love you. I really do." Barely suppressed sobs wracked Merlin's body. "Arthur I love you and I can't bear to see you like this anymore! Please, wake up." Merlin pressed his lips to Arthur's hand. "Please," he mumbled into Arthur's hand.

Merlin stayed like this for hours, quietly talking to his beloved, unconscious Arthur. A nurse came around once to check on Arthur. She almost made him leave, as visiting hours were long over, but she could see in his eyes that he would not leave, no matter what she said. Anyways, he wasn't doing any harm.

She came back a short while later with a Gatorade from the vending machine for him. The nurse knew what it was like to fear for a loved one, the two boys were too young for this; it was the least she could do for him.

Merlin's mother stopped in at one point in time to check in on her son, she hated to leave him alone but she had work in the morning and it was late. She hadn't bothered asking him to come home, she knew he would refuse.

Merlin stayed the entire night, ignoring the food beside him. He fell asleep in the chair, holding Arthur's hand tightly within his.

Arthur slowly rose to consciousness; he could smell the sterile air of the hospital and shortly after, he could feel intense pain all over his face, the pain was awful, all he wanted to do was go back into the soft arms of unconsciousness. He almost did but then he felt something else, a hand in his hand. Someone was there; Arthur was overcome by the urge to see this person, whoever they were.

He groaned as he finally broke the surface of unconsciousness and opened his heavy eyelids. Arthur saw the familiar mess of brown hair slumped on the chair next to his bed, holding his hand. Arthur opened his mouth to say hello but let out a groan instead as a fresh wave of pain hit him. His mouth was parched and his lips were dry, his face felt torn, and shredded. He inhaled sharply, squeezing Merlin's hand.

Merlin's head snapped up, he took one look at Arthur's face and hit the button by Arthur's hand to call a nurse.

Merlin stood up still holding Arthur's hand he rested the other one on Arthur's shoulder and began to speak to him. "Hang on Arthur, a nurse is coming. I know it hurts, but please, hold on." He managed a smile for Arthur, "Hang in there; I know you can do it."

Arthur groaned but maintained eye contact with Merlin. He decided to focus on the blue eyes above him rather than the pain. He held Merlin's hand tighter, trying to lose himself in Merlin's eyes.

A nurse came in and saw Arthur's pained expression before taking out her walkie talkie; she called for pain meds and ice chips.

She walked up to Merlin, "sir, I'm sorry but I need you to step out of the room for a little bit. I promise it won't be long; we just need to give him a morphine drip and adjust a few things. Could you please step out of the room?"

Merlin squeezed Arthur's hand and slowly walked out of the room. He leaned against the wall across from the door and watched nurses and doctors pile into the small room. He watched as the poked and prodded Arthur, asking question after question, ignoring the pain on his face. All Merlin wanted to do was comfort him but he couldn't. He was stuck outside the room until they left.

After 10 minutes, the last nurse left, telling Merlin he could go back in. Merlin rushed to Arthur and took his hands. Arthur's face had relaxed now that the morphene was taking effect.

"Arthur," Merlin breathed, running a hand over his arm and staring deep into his eyes. "Thank God you're not hurt worse."

Arthur gave a small smile, "It's bad enough as it is."

"I know," Merlin replied frowning slightly. "I hate seeing you like this Arthur, it's not right. I love you Arthur, you don't deserve this."

"Merlin, no one deserves this." He blinked heavily, "Merlin, I love you too, but you need to sleep." He smiled tiredly before dropping out of the conscious world. Merlin sighed and sat back in the chair, settling himself down to join Arthur in the land of dreams.


	9. Saved me twice

I really know how to spoil you guys with new content. Alas, as summer comes to a close, chapters will become much more infrequent, enjoy it while you can! Reviews are not only encouraged, but they inspire me to write longer, better chapters, so remember to review! -This has been a PSA from your local heart breaker.

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Arthur opened his eyes, with less pain now that he had morphine pumping through his veins. He saw Merlin in the chair next to him and smiled slightly, he hadn't gone home yet, Arthur weakly squeezed Merlin's hand, waking him from his doze.

Merlin's head snapped up, "Arthur," he let out a shaky breath, concern etched on his face. "Don't you ever do that again, please, don't ever scare me like that again."

Arthur rubbed his thumb on the back of Merlin's hand, "I'll try Mer." Arthur mumbled. "Thanks for staying, did you get my note?"

Merlin pursed his lips and nodded. "Arthur, I love you too. I really do."

"I love you too Merlin, I'm sorry for making you worry so much. It's just, I couldn't take it anymore. It was him or me. In fact, I was considering suicide until I met you, you were what stopped me. Merlin, you saved me, twice now."

Merlin couldn't breathe for a moment, Arthur, his Arthur, was going to end his life before he had moved in. Merlin dove forward and wrapped his arms around Arthur's chest, burying his face into Arthur's collarbone. He clung to Arthur, tears streaming down his face. "Thank God I got here when I did." Merlin half joked, holding back a sob.

Arthur smiled slightly; it felt good to get it off his chest. He was starting to seriously consider it just a few days before Merlin came. He never showed it though; he was very good at hiding his issues. Merlin had made it all easier though, he had made everything better. He would listen to Arthur and hold him when he needed it. Merlin was his sun, the light in his dark days. Merlin had made everything better and he continued to make it better. Whatever happened, he would hold on. He would hold on for Merlin, the one the truly cared.

Arthur lifted one of his arms and rested it on Merlin's back. "Thank you Merlin, for everything."

Arthur slowly fell asleep again, and Merlin sat back in the little chair next to Arthur's bed.

Eventually, Merlin's mother came and made her son come home, promising she would bring him back tomorrow.

When they got home, Merlin sat at the dinner table while his mother dished up some meatloaf for the two of them. "Merlin," she said, "you need to eat. I know you're worried about Arthur, but not eating isn't going to help him."

Merlin nodded and began to slowly eat his meatloaf. He cleared his plate and went to his room, laying down on the bed and staring at the ceiling. Merlin could hardly believe that Arthur of all people was considering suicide. He was so bright and energetic all the time. Things at home with Uther must have been worse than Merlin previously thought.

Merlin stood up from is bed, far too restless to sleep. He went over to his desk and sat in front of his drawing of Arthur and the bear. He flipped the page and began to draw something new. Merlin drew a perfect profile of Arthur before his father had hit him. He drew Arthur smiling like he had so many times. It was just so hard for Merlin to understand, why would such a bright boy want to snuff himself out? A tear leaked out of his eye and fell down his face, splashing onto the desk. Merlin stood up slowly, leaving his drawing on the desk. He changed into a pair of sweats and crawled onto his bed again. Merlin curled into a ball and rested his head on his pillow, letting the tears fall down his face as he fell asleep.


	10. All good must come to an end

**_Final chapter for you all, thank you so much for sticking with my angst for all this time, I hope you like it. Even though I'm done, any feedback helps, I may do another merhtur fic later (If you think it's a good idea). Anyways, I thought this would bring everything to a close, thanks again! -Your local heart breaker_**

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Merlin's mother had told him to stay away from the hospital for most of the week because Arthur needed rest and to be with his mother. Merlin was not particularly happy about this and spent a great deal of his abundant free time drawing and wishing for Arthur to come home.

Ten days after his last visit to Arthur, Merlin got bored of sitting around the house. He pulled on a pair of swim trunks and grabbed a bag from his bed. He stuffed a bottle of water and three of the ever so plentiful apples in the house in the bag before leaping on his bike and heading off down the road.

Going by memory, Merlin located the little dirt road that lead to the hidden pond. Upon his arrival, stuffed his shirt in his bag and pulled his bike into the brush. He walked slowly down the grassy shore, he waded into the water. Once it reached the middle of his chest, Merlin pushed off and swam slowly over to the platform in the middle of the pond. He hauled himself up and lay in the middle of it, sprawled out and watching the clouds float overhead.

He remembered the first time he had been here, when his wonderful Arthur had kissed him for the first time. He remembered barely being able to believe that someone as perfect as Arthur could think so much of regular old Merlin.

It was hard to believe that Arthur could have even contemplated something as drastic as suicide. He was hit by an almost overwhelming pang of longing to go to Arthur, but he resisted.

He stayed on the platform for a time before rolling off and swimming back to shore to eat an apple and drink some of the water. Merlin sighed and picked up his bike and bag. The memories here did nothing to ease his longing.

Merlin entered the house, mostly dry from his swim. He went into his room and changed into dry clothes before tossing his wet pants in the hamper.

Merlin flopped on his bed, bored out of his mind. He just wished Arthur would come home. Merlin eventually slowed his thinking enough to fall asleep.

When Merlin woke up, the sun was just starting to dip beneath the horizon. Merlin yawned and ran a hand through his flattened hair. He went over to his desk and began flipping through his sketch book. It was filled with doodles of Arthur and dragons and castles. He also had drawn an old sorcerer in a red cloak, smiting enemies on a battlefield. Merlin rifled through a stack of papers on the side of his desk and found the original picture of Arthur, the one that started it all.

Merlin slumped forward a little and a tear leaked from his eye. He looked through the window and over to Arthur's room. He was shocked to see a light on, but the curtains were drawn shut. He set the paper down and stood, walking towards the window.

Merlin slid his window up and stepped outside, into the dying light. He tapped on Arthur's window. "Arthur?" he called. The only response was the creak of bed springs. He tapped a little louder, "Arthur, are you there?" Still nothing, Merlin decided to risk opening the window.

He slid the glass up carefully and pulled the curtain aside hesitantly. He saw a lump under the covers of Arthur's bed. Merlin slid the rest of him self inside and closed the window.

"Arthur," he said softly, walking over to the bed. Merlin rested a hand on the lump. "Arthur, I want to talk to you, it's me, Merlin."

Arthur pulled the blankets off his head, looking sadly at Merlin with his scarred face. He took a deep, shaky breath and sat up, covers still around his waist. "Hi Merlin," he said softly, looking away. Merlin stood awkwardly in front of him. The silence was deafening. Arthur looked up at Merlin and finally said something, "I'm sorry about telling you about my suicidal thoughts, I understand if you don't love me anymore. I get it, I'm a burden. I never should have said anything; I should have just stayed quiet. You don't have to spend time with me anymore if you don't want to." He hung his head and looked at his hands in his lap, barely holding back tears.

Merlin stared at Arthur for a moment, too shocked to move. Arthur actually thought that he would no longer care about him. He moved forward and sat next to Arthur on the small bed. He wrapped his arms around Arthur and pulled him close, He put his hand under Arthur's chin and tilted his head up.

"Listen to me Arthur, not matter what has or will happen, there is nothing, _nothing _you could do to make me love you any less." He leaned in and kissed Arthur softly, still conscious of the healing flesh. After a moment, he pulled back, "I will always love you Arthur, until the end of time."

Arthur threw himself at Merlin and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist. Burying his face in Merlin's chest he sobbed. All the grief and anger and pain of the last two weeks came out in massive, shuddering, sobs.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur, running one hand over his sandy blonde hair. Arthur's tears soaked Merlin's shirt but neither of them cared, they were finally together again. Admittedly, they were both a bit broken, but then again, aren't we all?


End file.
